


mischief in my blood

by kopi_pheng



Series: Lost Children [1]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Pre-Movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-20 04:25:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18985237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kopi_pheng/pseuds/kopi_pheng
Summary: The first time Mal was sent to the Isle, she was just five years old.[au where villain kids were adopted off the isle when they were babies]





	mischief in my blood

The first time Mal was sent to the Isle, she was just five years old.

The guards dropped her off just past the bridge, the open area dark and unwelcoming. They weren’t rough with her, but she could feel just how strong their grips were on both of her shoulders. The men weren’t ones that she knew around the castle and they certainly didn’t look as nice as those that she was used to. Sure, they wore the same uniforms, but their faces were hard and cold as marble and held no hint of warmth or comfort that Mal hoped to find even in guards she didn’t recognize. Her parents had always taught her that the palace guards were honourable people that she could trust and to look for them should she ever stumble into a problem. Mal didn’t think this pair would help her if she asked.

“You are to stay here until further notice. You will be collected by us or other security personnel when the time comes.” The words were strict and foreboding, but not loud. It was as if these figures of authority that Mal was so used to were afraid to raise their voices here. Wherever _here_ was.

Mal had been silent before, scared from being separated from her parents and loaded onto a car, then sent to a place that was both far and foreign to her. The tears and sniffling that had died down now returned with a vengeance. Mal found her voice and she used it, loudly.

“Please! You can’t leave me here. Please, just take me back! I’ll be good!”

Panicked, she ran toward them, grabbing on to the first leg she reached. Her heart-shaped face, so often admired, was upturned to search for any sign of sympathy from the guard. Mal didn’t like to cry, but she let these tears flow confused and angry down her cheeks. “Please,” she said again. The guard’s face was just as stony as it had been before. He pulled her thin arms away and set them on Mal’s sides, grips firm enough to bruise. “Stay here, Mal.”

Those were the last words she heard from them before the guards quickly got in their vehicle and left the Isle. Stunned by the pain in her wrists, Mal hadn’t been able to reach the car before the doors had been slammed in her face. Lessons since she was small made her step away from the dark vehicle when its engine roared to life. Mal could only watch as it sped away from her on the shimmering golden bridge that materialized from nothing. _Magic_ , she thought. Mal had never seen magic before. It wasn’t used in Auradon anymore, after all. The awe that she felt was eclipsed by the fear that started to take root in her.

Unlike her sister Audrey, Mal had never really been afraid of the dark. It was just the absence of light and all the things in her room would be in the same places whether it was bright or not. There were no monsters waiting to jump out at her from the shadows, no claws to rip and tear, no rumbling growls to wake her in the night. The palace was safe as can be, with its guards and the warmth of her parents’ love. Mal had always slept soundly in her bed because the darkness never held any threats for her.

Now, the darkness here felt pervasive. The crescent moon slowly climbing in the sky did not cast enough light here, not with so many close-packed buildings further in to cast such deep shadows. Mal could hear her heart beat loud and fast in her chest. Finding a decently clean patch of ground, she sat herself against a cold grey wall. Huddled into herself this way, she could feel each _thump-badump_ of her heartbeat reverberate through her entire frame _._

Mal wished she knew what time it was. Back home, when it all started, it had been right after dinner. Maybe it had been eight o’clock then, or was it eight thirty? Mal didn’t know how long the journey here had taken, but it had felt interminable to her. She didn’t know how long she would be stuck here. But she would be able to go back, wouldn’t she? The guard had said so. _You will be collected_ , that’s what he said.

Why, why, _why_ had Mal let her temper flare up? Her parents had told her again and again to control it. She didn’t even remember what had truly set her off this time. Distantly, Mal recalled wanting something else for dessert. Strawberry shortcake was Mal’s favorite, even though she still couldn’t say the words without stumbling over them. She also thought it might have had something to do with wanting to play with some of Audrey’s toys. Audrey didn’t like sharing all that much, even though they were both taught that it was good practice, _sharing is caring_ and all that. Or maybe it was because Mal hadn’t finished the vegetables that had been on her plate?

Mal felt like sobbing hard and loud, but no more tears would come. Her small body heaved, and she coughed. Her throat was dry as the desert and she wished that she had some water to drink. Angrily, Mal swiped at her face. It felt like the only warm part of her while her hands were starting to turn to ice.

Crying and shaking as she had been, only now did Mal notice the growing cold. A breeze blew past, as if brought on by her realization. It wasn’t the stinging chill of winter, but it was enough to set Mal shivering, her muscles contracting and relaxing to try and provide some heat.

“Hey there, little girl.”

Mal near about jumped. The raspy voice must have come from somewhere, Mal knew, but she couldn’t pinpoint its direction of origin. She wanted so badly to leap up and run away, but she didn’t know where to go. These weren’t the streets of Auradon, and even then, her mother would have never let go of her hand to let her explore alone. Besides, Mal was sure that the words had been born by the surrounding shadows. If she tried to escape, who knew if she wouldn’t end up running into the monster’s embrace anyway?

It must have seen the fear in the widening of her eyes, the quickening of her breath. “Shhhh,” the creature said, from within the darkness. “You’re all right; you’re safe and snug.”

Mal’s eyes narrowed. She wasn’t a fool; she knew about charming words and devious tricks. Her confidence in this was enough for her to find her voice again. “Who are you? What do you want?” Mal asked.

A cackle erupted from the gloom. Was it just Mal, or was the sound coming closer? The shadows shifted and danced. Where Mal had expected some ugly beast to emerge, there was a thin old lady instead. Her bleached hair reflected the moonlight, her feet made no sound against the pavement although she seemed to be limping slightly. Her clothes looked like they were about to fall to pieces, so tattered were they. But in her hands, she held a jacket, its material shining faintly in the sparse light.

Despite her previous terror, Mal was more than ready to run. Who knew what this old woman would do to her? “Hush, dearie,” the woman said, pushing her gently back to the floor. Her gnarled fingers were in Mal’s hair, not ripping it out clump by clump as she might have feared but running smoothly through it instead. It was soothing and reminded Mal of home. She felt the weight and warmth of the jacket that had been in the woman’s grasp settle against her. The old lady tucked the sides of it to better shield Mal from the cold of the Isle. “You’ll be okay. They always end up okay.”

To add to Mal’s confusion, the woman started singing. Mal couldn’t really make out the words; they must be in a different language, she thought. The sound warbled at first, unsure, but the melody grew steady and strong soon enough. Before she knew it, Mal was drifting off to sleep.

The rays of the rising sun made Mal’s eyes begin to flicker open, her nose twitching in her irritation. The weak sunshine wasn’t enough to fully wake Mal, but the swelling rumble of an engine was. Mal rubbed the sleep from her eyes, hoping that the golden bridge and the car making its way across it wasn’t some remnant of a dream.

The car rolled to a stop a ways away from Mal and the two guards from last night stepped out. They looked around, spotting Mal quickly as she leapt up from her balled position. “You came back!” she shouted.

Mal ran over to them, eyes bright. Both of the men smiled at her this time, cheerful despite the early hour. “We missed you, Miss Mal,” they said. One of them was holding a blanket. It was pink and it was warm. It made her feel much more comfortable now than she had been last night. The guards led her to the backseat of the car, making sure that she settled herself properly in the upholstery. “Let’s get you home.”

Together, they left the Isle, the car once again making its way along the magical bridge back to Auradon. Left behind, on the ground, was the leather jacket that had made Mal feel safe enough to fall asleep, even on what she thought was foreign soil.

Later, she would forget that it existed at all. Like the phantom of the woman that had soothed her that night, her temper tantrum had been overlooked and disregarded. It was as if it had never happened at all. Mal was welcomed by her family at the door of the palace. Both Princess Aurora and Prince Philip took turns to wrap their younger daughter in their warm embrace. Audrey gave Mal a hug too, inviting her sister in to breakfast, talking about all of the dishes that had been prepared today, including Mal’s favorite strawberry shortcake.


End file.
